1.
Brisbane
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Brisbane is the capital of and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland, and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbanes metropolitan area has a population of 2.35 million, the Brisbane central business district stands on the original European settlement and is situated inside a bend of the Brisbane River, about 15 kilometres from its mouth at Moreton Bay. The demonym of Brisbane is Brisbanite, one of the oldest cities in Australia, Brisbane was founded upon the ancient homelands of the indigenous Turrbal and Jagera peoples. A penal settlement was founded in 1824 at Redcliffe,28 kilometres north of the business district. The city was marred by the Australian frontier wars between 1843 and 1855, and development was set back by the Great Fire of Brisbane. Brisbane was chosen as the capital when Queensland was proclaimed a colony from New South Wales in 1859. During World War II, Brisbane played a role in the Allied campaign. Today, Brisbane is well known for its distinct Queenslander architecture which forms much of the built heritage. It also receives attention for its damaging flood events, most notably in 1974 and 2011. Several large cultural, international and sporting events have held at Brisbane, including the 1982 Commonwealth Games, World Expo 88, the final Goodwill Games in 2001. Prior to white settlement, the Brisbane area was inhabited by the Turrbal and they knew the area that is now the central business district as Mian-jin, meaning place shaped as a spike. The Moreton Bay area was explored by Matthew Flinders. On 17 July 1799, Flinders landed at what is now known as Woody Point, in 1823 Governor of New South Wales Sir Thomas Brisbane instructed that a new northern penal settlement be developed, and an exploration party led by John Oxley further explored Moreton Bay. Oxley discovered, named, and explored the Brisbane River as far as Goodna,20 kilometres upstream from the Brisbane central business district, Oxley recommended Red Cliff Point for the new colony, reporting that ships could land at any tide and easily get close to the shore. The party settled in Redcliffe on 13 September 1824, under the command of Lieutenant Henry Miller with 14 soldiers and 29 convicts. However, this settlement was abandoned after a year and the colony was moved to a site on the Brisbane River now known as North Quay,28 km south, chief Justice Forbes gave the new settlement the name of Edenglassie before it was named Brisbane. Non-convict European settlement of the Brisbane region commenced in 1838, German missionaries settled at Zions Hill, Nundah as early as 1837, five years before Brisbane was officially declared a free settlement. The band consisted of ministers Christopher Eipper and Carl Wilhelm Schmidt and lay missionaries Haussmann, Johann Gottried Wagner, Niquet, Hartenstein, Zillman, Franz, Rode, Doege and they were allocated 260 hectares and set about establishing the mission, which became known as the German Station
2.
National Institute of Dramatic Art
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The National Institute of Dramatic Art is an Australian national education and training institute for students in the performing arts. Since 1958, NIDA has educated students in performance and production for theatre, film and it offers programs ranging from degrees to public short courses, including holiday programs and corporate training. In 2013, NIDA was ranked as the 8th best drama school in the world by The Hollywood Reporter. NIDAs main campus is based in the Sydney suburb of Kensington, located adjacent to the University of New South Wales, NIDA is affiliated with the University of New South Wales. Founded in 1958, NIDA commenced acting classes in 1959, more than 50 years later, NIDA has grown to approximately 232 full-time students annually, approximately 70 full-time staff members. The student body for these courses totalled 199 in 2014, NIDA is located on Anzac Parade in the Sydney suburb of Kensington, across the road from the University of New South Wales. The campus was first opened in 1987, followed by additional buildings opened in 2001, the largest of these is the Parade Theatre offering seating for audiences of up to 707 people in its three-tiered, horseshoe-shaped auditorium. The Playhouse, Studio Theatre, the Space and the Atrium offer a variety of performance spaces. The Rodney Seaborn Library is a specialist library for NIDA students, graduates, the NIDA Archives collects, organises and preserves archival records created by or relating to NIDA. Williams had defended herself stating her management style was not Thatcherite, long also mentioned that amongst Williams supporters were Cate Blanchett and Ralph Myers. Supporting Puplick were actor, director and a graduate of the school Jeremy Sims, who had launched the essay, and Kevin Jackson, who had taught acting at the school for 27 years
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Barry Otto
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Barry Otto is an Australian actor and voice artist, primarily of cinema and an amateur artist Barry Otto was born in Brisbane in 1941, the son of a butcher. He trained as an artist but switched to acting, Otto received an AACTA Award for Best Supporting Actor in Strictly Ballroom as well as being nominated for Bliss, Cosi and The More Things Change. An amateur artist, he often paints members of his family, Otto portrayed J P Riley in Dad and Dave, On Our Selection in 1995. He is the father of actresses Gracie and Miranda Otto, Otto portrayed Administrator Allsop in Australia in 2008. With all these films The Dressmaker, Kiss or Kill, Dead Letter Office, The Visitor, The Great Gatsby, Legend of the Guardians, The Owls of GaHoole, in 2015 Otto voiced the role of Mayor Wilberforce Cranklepot, a Goanna in Blinky Bill the Movie. Barry Otto married Lindsay, with whom he has a daughter Miranda, with his partner Sue Hill, he has a son, Eddy, a teacher and professional cricket coach, and another daughter Gracie, born on 23 May 1987 in Sydney. Barry Otto at Randwick in Sydney to won of Australian Film Walk of Fame, Barry Otto at the Internet Movie Database
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Gracie Otto
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Gracie Otto is an Australian actress, film producer, writer and director. She made her directing debut with the 2013 documentary The Last Impresario about prolific British theatre impresario. The film made its premiere at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2013. Gracie Otto is the daughter of the Australian actor Barry Otto and her sister is actress Miranda Otto and her brother-in-law is actor Peter OBrien. She attended Burwood Girls High School, a school in the Inner-West of Sydney. As a schoolgirl, Otto represented Australia and New South Wales in indoor soccer and she graduated from the Sydney Film School in 2007 and spent the following year living in Paris. Ottos feature-length directing debut was with the 2014 documentary The Last Impresario, about prolific British theatre impresario, the film made its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2013, where it was positively received by critics. Calcutta, Rocky Horror, Dame Edna and Monty Python, Otto has directed five short films, all of which have screened at prestigious international film festivals. Audiences have responded to her homage to Hitchcock and cinematic 1960s style, Three Blind Mice also marked Gracie’s debut as a feature film editor, probably one of the few times the leading actress doubled in this role. She has been a finalist for the Inside Film Rising Talent Award, British Council Realise Your Dreams, in 2014 she was named as one of eight iconic Australian personalities chosen to celebrate Sportscraft’s 100th anniversary. She is the Ambassador for the Chambord Shine Awards and has also been Ambassador for Royal Randwick Autumn Racing, international accessories company Mimco, Otto has been featured in magazines including Instyle, Australian Womans Weekly, GQ Australia, Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Cleo, and Madison Magazine. She has walked in shows for Pussycat Dolls Lingerie, Coca Cola Little Black Dress, Otto appeared on Talking About Your Generation and The Full Brazilian. Eve The New Life Good Luck with That Three Blind Mice Sea Patrol L. B. F, kill Blondes Broken Beat Tango Trois La Meme Nuit Seamstress La Cabane a Marseille Yearling Parfum de Regrets Fashion Lust The Last Impresario Gracie Otto at the Internet Movie Database
5.
World War II
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World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a global war that lasted from 1939 to 1945, although related conflicts began earlier. It involved the vast majority of the worlds countries—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing alliances, the Allies and the Axis. It was the most widespread war in history, and directly involved more than 100 million people from over 30 countries. Marked by mass deaths of civilians, including the Holocaust and the bombing of industrial and population centres. These made World War II the deadliest conflict in human history, from late 1939 to early 1941, in a series of campaigns and treaties, Germany conquered or controlled much of continental Europe, and formed the Axis alliance with Italy and Japan. Under the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939, Germany and the Soviet Union partitioned and annexed territories of their European neighbours, Poland, Finland, Romania and the Baltic states. In December 1941, Japan attacked the United States and European colonies in the Pacific Ocean, and quickly conquered much of the Western Pacific. The Axis advance halted in 1942 when Japan lost the critical Battle of Midway, near Hawaii, in 1944, the Western Allies invaded German-occupied France, while the Soviet Union regained all of its territorial losses and invaded Germany and its allies. During 1944 and 1945 the Japanese suffered major reverses in mainland Asia in South Central China and Burma, while the Allies crippled the Japanese Navy, thus ended the war in Asia, cementing the total victory of the Allies. World War II altered the political alignment and social structure of the world, the United Nations was established to foster international co-operation and prevent future conflicts. The victorious great powers—the United States, the Soviet Union, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union and the United States emerged as rival superpowers, setting the stage for the Cold War, which lasted for the next 46 years. Meanwhile, the influence of European great powers waned, while the decolonisation of Asia, most countries whose industries had been damaged moved towards economic recovery. Political integration, especially in Europe, emerged as an effort to end pre-war enmities, the start of the war in Europe is generally held to be 1 September 1939, beginning with the German invasion of Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany two days later. The dates for the beginning of war in the Pacific include the start of the Second Sino-Japanese War on 7 July 1937, or even the Japanese invasion of Manchuria on 19 September 1931. Others follow the British historian A. J. P. Taylor, who held that the Sino-Japanese War and war in Europe and its colonies occurred simultaneously and this article uses the conventional dating. Other starting dates sometimes used for World War II include the Italian invasion of Abyssinia on 3 October 1935. The British historian Antony Beevor views the beginning of World War II as the Battles of Khalkhin Gol fought between Japan and the forces of Mongolia and the Soviet Union from May to September 1939, the exact date of the wars end is also not universally agreed upon. It was generally accepted at the time that the war ended with the armistice of 14 August 1945, rather than the formal surrender of Japan
6.
The Thin Red Line (1998 film)
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The Thin Red Line is a 1998 American ensemble epic war film written and directed by Terrence Malick. Based on the novel by James Jones, it tells a version of the Battle of Mount Austen. The film marked Malicks return to filmmaking after a 20-year absence and it co-stars Nick Nolte, Adrien Brody, George Clooney, John Cusack, Woody Harrelson, Elias Koteas, Jared Leto, John C. Reportedly, the first assembled cut took seven months to edit, by the final cut, footage of performances by Bill Pullman, Lukas Haas, and Mickey Rourke had been removed. The film was scored by Hans Zimmer, and shot by John Toll, principal photography took place in New Zealand, and Australia in the state of Queensland. The film grossed $98 million against its $52 million budget and it won the Golden Bear at the 1999 Berlin International Film Festival. Martin Scorsese ranked it as his favorite film of the 1990s on At the Movies. Gene Siskel called it the greatest contemporary war film Ive seen, a previous film adaptation of the novel was released in 1964. United States Army Private Witt goes AWOL from his unit and lives among the carefree Melanesian natives in the South Pacific and he is found and imprisoned on a troop carrier by First Sergeant Welsh of his company. As they wait in a Navy transport, they contemplate their lives, battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel Tall talks with Brigadier General Quintard about the invasion and its importance. C Company lands on Guadalcanal unopposed and marches to the interior of the island, encountering natives and they arrive near Hill 210, a key Japanese position. The Japanese have placed bunkers at the top of the hill, a brief shelling of the hill begins the next day at dawn. C Company attempts to capture the hill but is repelled by gunfire, among the first killed is one of the platoon leaders, Second Lieutenant Whyte. During the battle, a squad led by Sergeant Keck hides behind a swell safe from fire to wait for reinforcements. Keck reaches for a grenade but accidentally pulls the pin and dies in the process, Lieutenant Colonel Tall orders the company commander, Captain James Staros, to take the bunker by frontal assault, at whatever cost. Staros refuses and Tall decides to join Staros on the front line to see the situation, the Japanese resistance seems to have lessened, and Talls opinion of Staros seems to have been sealed. Private Witt, having been assigned punitively as a bearer, asks to rejoin the company. A small detachment of men performs a reconnaissance mission on Talls orders to determine the strength of the Japanese bunker, Private Bell reports there are five machine guns in the bunker
7.
What Lies Beneath
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What Lies Beneath is a 2000 American psychological horror film directed by Robert Zemeckis. It is the first film by the film studio ImageMovers and it stars Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer as a well-to-do couple who experience a strange haunting that uncovers secrets about their past. The film opened in 2,813 theaters in North America, the film received mainly mixed reviews, and received three Saturn Award nominations. Claire Spencer lives in Vermont with her husband Dr. Norman Spencer, after dropping her daughter Caitlin off at College, Claire begins to notice the activities of the couple who have moved into the house next door, the Feurs. Overhearing Mary Feur sobbing one day, Claire becomes concerned when Mary tells her she is afraid she may disappear, after nobody answers the door, Claire soon witnesses strange occurrences when she is alone in the house and becomes convinced that Mary is dead and haunting her. Desperate to reach Marys spirit, Claire invites her friend Jody to join her for a seance in her bathroom, although the séance provides no results, after Jody leaves, Claire finds a message in the bathrooms mirror that reads You know. Hysterical, Claire rushes to the college to confront Warren, but is surprised to see that Mary is with him and has been alive the entire time. Mary visits her the day and apologizes for the misunderstanding, explaining that she briefly left her husband because of their volatile fights with each other. Claire begins to see a therapist at the urging of Norman, who worries that her mental state is declining because of Caitlins departure, despite the resolution with the Feurs, Claire continues to experience strange phenomena in her house. She sees the image of a woman in the lake from her dock. After a picture falls and breaks, Claire notices a newspaper clipping about a girl named Madison Elizabeth Frank. She learns that Madison attended the university where Norman works, Norman comes home and Claire seduces him as Madison during the tryst, causing Norman to push her away. Claire comes to herself and the memory of her own car accident returns as she remembers that she had caught Norman, distraught by the discovery, she had crashed her car into a tree while driving in a rain storm. The next morning Claire is called by the police, after Norman is nearly electrocuted by a dryer that fell into the bathtub while he was taking a shower. Claire is convinced that it was an attempt by Madison to take revenge, Norman confesses to Claire that while he did have an affair with the girl, he played no part in her disappearance. Seemingly reconciled with Norman, Claire visits Adamant, where she spots the same key-necklace in a window along with a chest it unlocks. That night, she dives into the lake and uncovers the box, unlocking it with the key, Norman interrupts her and alters his story, after breaking off his affair with Madison she was so distraught that she committed suicide by overdosing on pills in the Spencer house. In a panic, he placed Madisons body into her car, which he pushed into the lake
8.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
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The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers is a 2002 epic high fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson and based on the second volume of J. R. R. Tolkiens novel The Lord of the Rings. It is the installment in The Lord of the Rings film series. Continuing the plot of The Fellowship of the Ring, the film intercuts three storylines, Frodo and Sam continue their journey towards Mordor to destroy the One Ring, meeting and joined by Gollum, the rings former owner. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli come to the nation of Rohan and are reunited with the resurrected Gandalf. Merry and Pippin escape capture, meet Treebeard the Ent, meeting high critical acclaim, the film was an enormous box-office success, earning over $926 million worldwide and is currently the 39th highest-grossing film of all time. The film won accolades and was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee continue their journey to Mordor to destroy the One Ring by throwing it into Mount Doom and they are attacked in the night by Gollum, former owner of the Ring, but they capture him. Sympathising with Gollum for their shared burden, Frodo asks Gollum to lead them safely to Mordor, meanwhile, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli pursue the Uruk-hai who kidnapped their friends Merry and Pippin. The Uruk-hai are slaughtered by the Rohirrim army of Rohan, Aragorn’s group later meet the Rohirrim who have been banished by their king Théoden, who is manipulated by Saruman’s servant Grima Wormtongue. Tracking the Hobbits in Fangorn, Aragorn’s group encounter a resurrected Gandalf who perished in Moria, Gollum leads Frodo and Sam through the Dead Marshes while evading the Nazgûl. They reach the Black Gate to Mordor but Gollum stops them, saying its too risky, the trio later are captured by the Rangers of Ithilien, led by Faramir, brother of the late Boromir. When Faramir discovers Frodo has the Ring, he intends on taking him to Gondor, Aragorn, Gandalf, Legolas, and Gimli travel to Rohan’s capital Edoras where Gandalf releases Théoden from Saruman’s power and Wormtongue is banished. Aragorn strikes up a friendship with Théoden’s niece Éowyn who quickly falls in love with him, during a Warg attack, Aragorn falls off a cliff into a river, but is found by his horse and taken to Helm’s Deep. In Fangorn, Merry and Pippin attend an Ent council but learn Treebeard and they convince them otherwise when they show the destruction Saruman has unleashed on the forests around Isengard. The Ents storm Isengard, and release the dam placed upon the nearby river, the Uruk-hai army arrive at Helm’s Deep, finding a makeshift army of civilians and Elves from Rivendell waiting for them. A great battle follows with Théoden losing hope until Aragorn convinces him to ride out, Gandalf and the Rohirrim arrive, turning the tide of the battle and destroying the Uruk-hai. Frodo, Sam, and Gollum are taken to the fallen Gondor city Osgiliath but they are attacked by the Nazgûl, Sam informs Faramir of how the Ring nearly drove Boromir mad, stunning Faramir. Frodo is nearly captured by the Nazgûl but Sam tackles him down a flight of stairs, after the attack ends, Faramir frees the trio and sends them on their way
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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
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It is the third and final installment in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, following The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, preceding The Hobbit film trilogy. Released on 17 December 2003, The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King received rave reviews and universal acclaim, the film was the highest-grossing film of 2003 and, by the end of its theatrical run, the second highest-grossing film in history. As of January 2017, it is the fourteenth highest-grossing film of all time, at the 76th Academy Awards, it won all 11 Academy Awards for which it was nominated, therefore holding the record for highest Oscar sweep. The wins included the awards for Best Picture, the first and only time a film has done so, it was also the second sequel to win a Best Picture Oscar. The film jointly holds the record for the largest number of Academy Awards won with Ben-Hur, the film has been re-released twice, in 2011 and 2017. Gandalf leads Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and King Théoden to Isengard where they reunite with Merry, with Saruman defeated, Gandalf retrieves Sarumans palantír. Pippin later steals a glance into the seeing-stone, and suffers an attack from Sauron himself. Gandalf deduces that Sauron will attack Gondors capital Minas Tirith and he rides there to warn them, taking Pippin with him because Sauron believes Pippin is the ring bearer. The hobbits begin climbing a precarious stair carved in the face that will take them into Mordor via a secret way. But having overheard Gollums plot to regain the Ring, Sam keeps an eye on him. Saurons army strikes and overwhelms the city of Osgiliath, forcing Faramir, while helping Théoden gather his forces, Aragorn is approached by Elrond who informs him Arwen is dying. Following a vision of her son, she refused to leave Middle Earth, Elrond gives Aragorn the sword Andúril, Isildurs sword Narsil reforged, so he can reclaim his birthright while gaining reinforcements from the Dead Men of Dunharrow. Joined by Legolas and Gimli, Aragorn travels to the Paths of the Dead, Faramir is gravely wounded after a futile effort to retake Osgiliath, and believing his son to be dead, Denethor falls into madness. Gandalf is left to command the city defences against the Orc army led by Gothmog, but as Gothmogs forces eventually force their way into the city, Denethor attempts to kill himself and Faramir on a pyre. Pippin alerts Gandalf and they save Faramir, but Denethor leaps to his death from the top of Minas Tirith just before Théoden and the Rohirrim arrive. Initially, the Rohirrim have the advantage at the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, though Théodens niece Éowyn, having posed as a male soldier, battles and slays the Witch-King with Merrys help, Théoden dies of his wounds. Aragorn arrives with the Army of the Dead, they overcome the Orcs, Aragorn and the other captains of Men decide to lead all who can march upon the Black Gate as a distraction, so Frodo and Sam can get to Mount Doom. Gollum disposes of the last of the food, blaming Sam
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Peter Jackson
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Sir Peter Robert Jackson ONZ KNZM is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and film producer. He is best known as the director, writer, and producer of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy and he also produced District 9, The Adventures of Tintin, The Secret of the Unicorn, and the documentary West of Memphis. Jackson began his career with the horror comedy Bad Taste. He shared a nomination for Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay with his partner Fran Walsh for Heavenly Creatures, Jackson has been awarded three Academy Awards in his career, including the award for Best Director in 2003. He has also received a Golden Globe, four Saturn Awards and his production company is Wingnut Films, and his most regular collaborators are co-writers and producers Walsh and Philippa Boyens. Jackson was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2002 and he was later knighted by Anand Satyanand, the Governor-General of New Zealand, at a ceremony in Wellington in April 2010. In December 2014, Jackson was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Jackson was born on 31 October 1961 in Wellington and was raised at the nearby coastal town of Pukerua Bay. His parents—Joan, a worker and housewife, and William Bill Jackson. Bill Jackson was a veteran of the Siege of Malta in World War II, as a child, Jackson was a keen film fan, growing up on Ray Harryhausen films, as well as finding inspiration in the television series Thunderbirds and Monty Pythons Flying Circus. After a family gave the Jacksons a Super 8 cine-camera with Peter in mind. Jackson has long cited King Kong as his film. Most notable though was a 20-minute short called The Valley, which won him a prize because of the shots he used. In school, Jackson expressed no interest in sports and his classmates also remember him wearing a duffle coat with an obsession verging on religious. He had no training in film-making, but learned about editing, special effects and make-up largely through his own trial. As a young adult, Jackson discovered the work of author J. R. R. Tolkien after watching The Lord of the Rings, when he was 16 years old, Jackson left school and began working full-time as a photo-engraver for a Wellington newspaper, The Evening Post. For the seven years he worked there, Jackson lived at home with his parents so he could save as much money as possible to spend on film equipment. After two years of work Jackson bought a 16 mm camera, and began shooting a film later became Bad Taste. Jackson has long cited several films as influences and it is well known that Jackson has a passion for King Kong, often citing it as his favourite film and as the film that inspired him early in his life
11.
The Lord of the Rings (film series)
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The Lord of the Rings is a film series consisting of three high fantasy adventure films directed by Peter Jackson. They are based on the novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, the films are subtitled The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King. They were distributed by New Line Cinema, each film in the series also had special extended editions released on DVD a year after their respective theatrical releases. While the films follow the general storyline, they do omit some of the novels plot elements and include some additions to. The Fellowship eventually splits up and Frodo continues the quest together with his loyal companion Sam and the treacherous Gollum. Meanwhile, Aragorn, heir in exile to the throne of Gondor, Legolas, Gimli, Merry, and Pippin, the series was a major financial success, with the films collectively being among the highest-grossing film series of all time. The films were acclaimed and heavily awarded, winning 17 out of 30 total Academy Award nominations. The series received praise for its innovative special and visual effects. Director Peter Jackson first came into contact with The Lord of the Rings when he saw Ralph Bakshis 1978 animated film The Lord of the Rings, Jackson enjoyed the film and wanted to know more. Afterwards, he read an edition of the book during a twelve-hour train journey from Wellington to Auckland when he was seventeen. In 1995, Jackson was finishing The Frighteners and considered The Lord of the Rings as a new project, with the new developments in computer-generated imagery following Jurassic Park, Jackson set about planning a fantasy film that would be relatively serious and feel real. Negotiations then stalled when Universal Studios offered Jackson a remake of King Kong, Weinstein was furious, and further problems arose when it turned out Zaentz did not have distribution rights to The Hobbit, United Artists, which was in the market, did. By April 1996, the question was still not resolved. It was also revealed that Jackson originally wanted to finish King Kong before The Lord of the Rings began, but due to location problems, he decided to start with The Lord of the Rings franchise instead. When Universal cancelled King Kong in 1997, Jackson and Walsh immediately received support from Weinstein, Jackson and Walsh asked Costa Botes to write a synopsis of the book and they began to re-read the book. Two to three months later, they had written their treatment, Bilbo attends the Council of Elrond, Sam looks into Galadriels mirror, Saruman is redeemed before he dies and the Nazgûl just make it into Mount Doom before they fall. They presented their treatment to Harvey and Bob Weinstein, the latter of whom they focused on impressing with their screenwriting as he had not read the book and they agreed upon two films and a total budget of $75 million. During mid-1997, Jackson and Walsh began writing with Stephen Sinclair, sinclairs partner, Philippa Boyens, was a major fan of the book and joined the writing team after reading their treatment
12.
Newcastle, New South Wales
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Located 162 kilometres north-northeast of Sydney, at the mouth of the Hunter River, it is the predominant city within the Hunter Region. Famous for its coal, Newcastle is the largest coal exporting harbour in the world, beyond the city, the Hunter Region possesses large coal deposits. Geologically, the area is located in the part of the Sydney basin. Newcastle and the lower Hunter Region were traditionally occupied by the Awabakal and Worimi Aboriginal People, in September 1797 Lieutenant John Shortland became the first European settler to explore the area. His discovery of the area was largely accidental, as he had sent in search of a number of convicts who had seized HMS Cumberland as she was sailing from Sydney Cove. While returning, Lt. Shortland entered what he described as a very fine river. He returned with reports of the port and the areas abundant coal. Over the next two years, coal mined from the area was the New South Wales colonys first export, Newcastle gained a reputation as a hellhole as it was a place where the most dangerous convicts were sent to dig in the coal mines as harsh punishment for their crimes. By the start of the 19th century the mouth of the Hunter River was being visited by groups of men, including coal diggers, timber-cutters. Philip Gidley King, the Governor of New South Wales from 1800, in 1801, a convict camp called Kings Town was established to mine coal and cut timber. In the same year, the first shipment of coal was dispatched to Sydney and this settlement closed less than a year later. A settlement was attempted in 1804, as a place of secondary punishment for unruly convicts. The settlement was named Coal River, also Kingstown and then renamed Newcastle, the new settlement, comprising convicts and a military guard, arrived at the Hunter River on 27 March 1804 in three ships, HMS Lady Nelson, the Resource and the James. The convicts were rebels from the 1804 Castle Hill convict rebellion, Morpeth, New South Wales is a similar distance north of Newcastle as Morpeth, Northumberland is north of Newcastle upon Tyne. Under Captain James Wallis, commandant from 1815 to 1818, the conditions improved. The quality of these first buildings was poor, and only breakwater survives, during this period, in 1816, the oldest public school in Australia was built in East Newcastle. Newcastle remained a settlement until 1822, when the settlement was opened up to farming. As a penal colony, the rule was harsh, especially at Limeburners Bay
13.
British Hong Kong
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British Hong Kong was the period during which Hong Kong was under British Crown rule from 1841 to 1997. It was established as a Crown colony and later designated a British Dependent Territory in 1981, Hong Kong Island was ceded to Great Britain by the Qing dynasty of China after the First Anglo-Chinese War. The Kowloon Peninsula was added to the colony after the Second Anglo-Chinese War, finally, in 1898, the New Territories were added under a 99-year lease. The transfer has been credited as marking the end of the British Empire, in 1836, the Manchu Qing government undertook a major policy review of the opium trade. Lin Zexu volunteered to take on the task of suppressing opium, in March 1839, he became Special Imperial Commissioner in Canton, where he ordered the foreign traders to surrender their opium stock. He confined the British to the Canton Factories and cut off their supplies, Chief Superintendent of Trade, Charles Elliot, complied with Lins demands to secure a safe exit for the British, with the costs involved to be resolved between the two governments. When Elliot promised that the British government would pay for their stock, the merchants surrendered their 20,283 chests of opium. In September 1839, the British Cabinet decided that the Chinese should be made to pay for the destruction of British property, an expeditionary force was placed under Elliot and his cousin, Rear Admiral George Elliot, as joint plenipotentiaries in 1840. Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston stressed to the Chinese Imperial Government that the British Government did not question Chinas right to prohibit opium, but it objected to the way this was handled. He viewed the sudden strict enforcement as laying a trap for the traders. In 1841, Elliot negotiated with Lins successor, Qishan, in the Convention of Chuenpi during the First Opium War, on 20 January, Elliot announced the conclusion of preliminary arrangements, which included the cession of Hong Kong Island and its harbour to the British Crown. On 26 January, the Union Jack was raised on Hong Kong and Commodore James Bremer, commander-in-chief of British forces in China, on 29 August 1842, the cession was formally ratified in the Treaty of Nanking, which ceded Hong Kong in perpetuity to Britain. The treaty failed to satisfy British expectations of an expansion of trade and profit. In October 1856, Chinese authorities in Canton detained the Arrow, the Consul in Canton, Harry Parkes, claimed the hauling down of the flag and arrest of the crew were an insult of very grave character. Parkes and Sir John Bowring, the 4th Governor of Hong Kong, in March 1857, Palmerston appointed Lord Elgin as Plenipotentiary with the aim of securing a new and satisfactory treaty. A French expeditionary force joined the British to avenge the execution of a French missionary in 1856, in 1860, the capture of the Taku Forts and occupation of Beijing led to the Treaty of Tientsin and Convention of Peking. In the Treaty of Tientsin, the Chinese accepted British demands to open ports, navigate the Yangtze River. During the conflict, the British occupied the Kowloon Peninsula, where the land was valuable training and resting ground
14.
Casting director
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The casting process involves a series of auditions before a casting panel, composed of individuals such as the producer, director and/or choreographer. In the early stages of the process, performers often may present prepared audition pieces such as monologues or songs and these audition pieces are usually video taped, attached with resumes, and head shots and then shared with producers, directors and studio representatives. Depending on the prestige of the role, casting calls may go out to the public at large, in the production of film and television, a similar process is followed. Character breakdowns, part of the breakdown, are often provided to auditioners. An actor may go through casting calls before receiving a part. Independent casting studios are used for casting calls so that the castings can take place in various locations. For some major productions, the process of selecting actors for sometimes hundreds of parts may require specialized staff. While the last word remains with the people in charge, artistic and production, a casting director is sometimes assisted by a casting associate, productions with large numbers of extras may have their own extras casting director. The CD remains as a liaison between director, actors and their agents/managers and the studio/network to get the characters in the script cast, at least in the early stages and for extras, casting may be decentralized geographically, often in conjunction with actual shooting planned in different locations. Another reason may be tapping into each home market in the case of an international co-production, the resulting list of actors filling the parts is called a cast list
15.
Ballet dancer
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A ballet dancer is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet, however, dancers have hierarchy and they rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of professional companies. Ballet dancers are at a risk of injury due to the demanding technique of ballet. Ballet dancers typically begin training between the ages of 2-4 or 5-7 if they desire to perform professionally, training does not end when ballet dancers are hired by a professional company. They must attend ballet class six days a week to keep themselves fit, Ballet is a strict form of art, and the dancer must be very athletic and flexible. Ballet dancers begin their classes at the barre, a beam that runs along the walls of the ballet studio. Dancers use the barre to support themselves during exercises, barre work is designed to warm up the body and stretch muscles to prepare for center work, where they execute exercises without the barre. Center work in the middle of the room starts out with exercises, gradually leading up to faster exercises. Ballet dancers finish center work practicing big leaps across the floor which is called grande allegro, after center work, females present exercises on pointe, or on their toes, supported by special pointe shoes. They may practice partner work together, Ballet dancers are susceptible to injury because they are constantly putting strain and stress on their bodies. A ballet dancers goal is to make physically demanding choreography appear effortless, Ballet dancers increase their risk of injury if they start training earlier than the age of ten. However, many dancers do start on the average age of 6 to 8 years old. The upper body of a dancer is prone to injury because choreography and class exercises requires them to exert energy into contorting their backs. Back bends cause the back to pinch, making the spine vulnerable to such as spasms. Extending the legs and holding them in the air while turned out causes damage to the hips, such damage includes strains, fatigue fractures, and bone density loss. Injuries are common in ballet dancers because ballet consists of putting the body in unnatural positions, one such position is first position, in which the heels are placed together as the toes point outward, rotating, or turning out the legs. First position puts a risk for injury at the knees, meniscal tears and dislocations are common at the knees because it is easy to let the knees slide forward while turned out in first position. Ballet dancers feet are prone to fractures and other damage, landing from jumps and working in pointe shoes cause bones to break and ankles to weaken
16.
Australian Film Institute
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It is responsible for producing Australias premier annual film and television awards, as of 2011 known as AACTA Awards. The work of the institute is supported by government funding, corporate sponsors, the year 1976 marked the first time that the AFI Awards, which had been given since 1958, were televised. Ten years later, television categories were added to the awards, the AFI is affiliated with the Los Angeles Australian Film & Television Association. In August 2011, AFI formed a professional organisation, the Australian Academy of Cinema. The AFI Research Collection is a significant non-lending, specialist film, the collection operates under the auspices of Royal Melbourne Institute of Technologys School of Media and Communication in conjunction with the Australian Film Institute. Cinema of Australia Culture of Australia AFI website AFI Awards 2010 coverage @ Mediasearch AFI History
17.
The Last Days of Chez Nous
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The Last Days of Chez Nous is an Australian drama film, directed by Gillian Armstrong and written by Helen Garner. Made in a style that emphasizes naturalism over melodrama, the centres on what happens after Vicki arrives at the house of her older sister Beth. The film stars Bruno Ganz as the Frenchman JP, New Zealand actor Kerry Fox as the younger sister. The cast also includes Miranda Otto and Bill Hunter, Lisa Harrow as Beth Bruno Ganz as J. P. The two of them worked on the idea of Chez Nous for a number of years developing it into a screenplay. Chapman then approached Gillian Armstrong who said, I really loved it because I love Helens writing, I think she has incredibly acute observation of people and wonderful poetry in her writing. After all, the house is also a character in the story, the film was entirely funded by the Film Fund of the Film Finance Corporation. Armstrong made the movie straight after Fires Within and enjoyed it more because the Hollywood film had been such a bad experience. Lisa Harrow won the Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, the film was entered into the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival. The film held a 90% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of August 2011, the Last Days of Chez Nous grossed $1,018,866 at the box office in Australia. Cinema of Australia The Last Days of Chez Nous at the Internet Movie Database The Last Days of Chez Nous at AllMovie The Last Days of Chez Nous at the National Film and Sound Archive
18.
The Nostradamus Kid
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The Nostradamus Kid is a 1992 Australian feature film written and directed by Bob Ellis. The film is about the religious and sexual coming of age of a 1950s and 1960s Seventh-day Adventist boy, ken Elkin is a randy young man who is told that the world is about to end. In a race against time, theres only one goal he wants to accomplish—bedding the love of his life and it was nominated for two AFI Awards, Best Screenplay, Original & Best Achievement in Costume Design. The project had been around for a number of years since David Puttnam suggested Bob Ellis turn his upbringing into a film and hired him to write it in 1979. It was originally announced that it would be made in the early 1980s with Paul Cox as director, Patric Juillet and Jane Ballantyne as producer, later on John Duigan, Carl Schultz and Chris McGill were attached as directors. Phillip Adams, who was to produce with Puttnam, said we couldnt raise the dough and it was obliterated during the 10BA rush because it wasnt expensive enough. Ellis then became a director and wanted to make it himself and he eventually succeeded in raising the money through the FFC. Another actor was originally cast in the role but the FFC had reservations. He ended up casting Noah Taylor and he was much less the sort of soft wimp that Id assumed, and it was one of the happiest experiences Ive ever had, working with him and those wonderful young actors, says Ellis. The original cut was 148 minutes but Ellis got it down to 122 minutes and he then reduced it to under two hours, but thought losing those last two minutes hurt the film. The Nostradamus Kid grossed $242,800 at the box office in Australia, Ellis, It ended up opening in October when all the kids who might have otherwise gone to see it were studying for exams and so on. So it didnt quite break out and it was dogged at every turn by The Piano, which I both detest and resent because it is a conscienceless piece of American betrayal of a story that wasnt very good in the first place
19.
Love Serenade
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Love Serenade is a 1996 Australian feature film directed by Shirley Barrett. It is a film which has the tagline, Two sisters will do anything to hook the right man. There are not many characters in Love Serenade, which is set in a fictitious, almost-deserted town called Sunray and it is a thinly disguised version of Robinvale, Victoria, which was the location of the movie. Were introduced to a pair of sisters, Dimity and Vicki-Ann, Dimity, the shy and insecure sibling, is a waitress at a local Chinese restaurant. Vicki-Ann, the one, is a hair stylist. Both are looking for love, although the prospects in Sunray seem bleak and that is, until Ken Sherry, a thrice divorced Brisbane DJ personality, moves into the house next door. During the filming of the Silo Scene, Stuntman Collin Dragsbaek died when he fell onto a faulty airbag, Love Serenade grossed $836,110 at the box office in Australia. Cinema of Australia Love Serenade at IMDb Love Serenade at Rotten Tomatoes Love Serenade review Love Serenade website Love Serenade at the National Film and Sound Archive
20.
The Well (1997 film)
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The Well is a 1997 Australian film, based on the novel by Elizabeth Jolley. The film is about a girl named Katherine and her older friend Hester who live on an isolated farm run by Hester and her father Francis. Katherine works as a maid and wants to leave because theres too much work, Hester, however, becomes attracted to Katherine and holds her there, promising to give her less work in the future. When Francis dies, Hester decides to sell the farm for cash and they move to small cottage on the edge of the farm and plan to go to Europe. But a tragic accident and the theft of their money change their plans, sandra Levy bought the rights to the novel and hired Laura Jones to adapt. They worked on the project for six years then Samantha Lang became involved as director. In 1997 it was nominated for the Golden Palm award at the Cannes Film Festival In 1997 Pamela Rabe received best actress at the Stockholm Film Festival, hitchhiker The Well grossed $393,920 at the box office in Australia. Cinema of Australia The Well at the Internet Movie Database The Well at the National Film and Sound Archive
21.
Doing Time for Patsy Cline
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Doing Time for Patsy Cline is a 1997 Australian multi-award-winning film starring Miranda Otto, Richard Roxburgh, and Matt Day and directed by Chris Kennedy. Following a passion for music, Ralph leaves his father’s sheep farm in a remote Australian town, armed with a guitar. He hopes to hitchhike to Sydney Airport where his take-off into a successful singing career will hopefully begin. However, fate and his naivety find him hitchhiking with a psychotic drug thief named Boyd, the plot then splits into a series of parallels, flash forwards and flashbacks. One depicts Ralph’s imprisonment after being framed for drug trafficking, the other follows the dramatic ascent of his career to hype status and the pairing between the dynamic Patsy and himself. Both paths eventually lead him home, with Ralph consequently being more mature and adjusted, at the end of the film, it is stated that Patsy dies in a plane crash. Doing Time for Patsy Cline grossed $671,639 at the box office in Australia, the film received generally positive reviews. The New York Times criticized the editing and jarring leaps in time. The film received award nominations including ten AFI Award nominations for 1997. It won an Australian Writers Guild Award for Best Original Screenplay, the film won four Australian Film Institute Awards including Best Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Original Music Score, and Best Costume Design. It also won an award of distinction for production design and it won three Australian Film Critics Awards, including Best Actor, Best Musical Score and Best Cinematography
22.
Richard Roxburgh
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Richard Roxburgh is an Australian actor who has starred in many Australian films and television series and has appeared in supporting roles in a number of Hollywood productions, usually as villains. Roxburgh was born in Albury, New South Wales, to John and Mary Roxburgh, John Roxburgh was a successful accountant. Richard Roxburgh played Willy Loman in the Albury High School production of Death of a Salesman in 1978, Roxburgh studied economics at the Australian National University in Canberra, where he resided at Garran Hall and graduated with a B. Ec. in 1984. After graduating from ANU, he decided to become an actor and was admitted to the National Institute of Dramatic Art on his second audition attempt, Roxburgh began working with the Sydney Theatre Company as soon as he graduated from NIDA. He came to attention for his portrayal of New South Wales Police Force detective Roger Rogerson in the 1995 television miniseries Blue Murder. Through the 1990s, he appeared in several Australian film and stage productions including an acclaimed turn as Hamlet in the 1994 Company B production at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney. In 2000, Roxburgh appeared in the first of several international blockbuster films when he appeared as henchman Hugh Stamp in the John Woo-directed Mission, Impossible 2, also filmed in Sydney was Baz Luhrmanns Moulin Rouge. In which Roxburgh played the Duke of Monroth and he is one of only two actors to have played all three of these characters, the other being Orson Welles, who played them in separate radio programs. Roxburgh directed his first film, Romulus, My Father starring Eric Bana and this film won the AFI Award in December 2007. In 2008 and 2009, he played the role of Art Watkins in the ABC drama series East of Everything. In July 2010, Roxburgh played former Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke in a telemovie based on Hawkes life, late in 2010, Roxburgh co-created and appeared in the lead role of the ABC1 television eight-episode drama series Rake. He stars in Matching Jack, which was released in August 2010, returning to the stage, Roxburgh played Vanya opposite Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving and John Bell in Sydney Theatre Companys 2010 production of Anton Chekhovs Uncle Vanya. In 2013 he again performed at the STC with Weaving as the protagonists in Samuel Becketts play Waiting for Godot, Weaving as Vladimir, in 2014, Roxburgh played the title role in Edmond Rostands 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac at the STC. That production moved in 2016/17 to the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in Manhattan for the Broadway debut of Roxburgh, Roxburgh was in a relationship with fellow actor and NIDA graduate Miranda Otto whom he met on the set of the film Doing Time for Patsy Cline in 1997. During production of the film Van Helsing, Roxburgh met Italian actress Silvia Colloca whom he married on 25 September 2004, they have two sons. Australian Film Institute/AACTA1997 – won, Doing Time for Patsy Cline 1999 – nominated, Passion 2001 – nominated, Moulin Rouge. co. uk – Interview with Richard Roxburgh about Romulus, My Father
23.
Country music
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Country music is a genre of United States popular music that originated in the southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from the genre of United States, such as folk music. Blues modes have been used throughout its recorded history. The term country music is used today to many styles and subgenres. In 2009 country music was the most listened to rush hour radio genre during the evening commute, immigrants to the Southern Appalachian Mountains of North America brought the music and instruments of Europe and Africa along with them for nearly 300 years. Country music was introduced to the world as a Southern phenomenon, Bristol, Tennessee, has been formally recognized by the U. S. Congress as the Birthplace of Country Music, based on the historic Bristol recording sessions of 1927. Since 2014, the city has been home to the Birthplace of Country Music Museum, historians have also noted the influence of the less-known Johnson City sessions of 1928 and 1929, and the Knoxville sessions of 1929 and 1930. Prior to these, pioneer settlers, in the Great Smoky Mountains region, had developed a musical heritage. The first generation emerged in the early 1920s, with Atlantas music scene playing a role in launching countrys earliest recording artists. Okeh Records began issuing hillbilly music records by Fiddlin John Carson as early as 1923, followed by Columbia Records in 1924, many hillbilly musicians, such as Cliff Carlisle, recorded blues songs throughout the 1920s. The most important was the Grand Ole Opry, aired starting in 1925 by WSM in Nashville, during the 1930s and 1940s, cowboy songs, or Western music, which had been recorded since the 1920s, were popularized by films made in Hollywood. Bob Wills was another musician from the Lower Great Plains who had become very popular as the leader of a hot string band. His mix of country and jazz, which started out as dance hall music, Wills was one of the first country musicians known to have added an electric guitar to his band, in 1938. Country musicians began recording boogie in 1939, shortly after it had played at Carnegie Hall. Gospel music remained a component of country music. It became known as honky tonk, and had its roots in Western swing and the music of Mexico. By the early 1950s a blend of Western swing, country boogie, rockabilly was most popular with country fans in the 1950s, and 1956 could be called the year of rockabilly in country music. Beginning in the mid-1950s, and reaching its peak during the early 1960s, the late 1960s in American music produced a unique blend as a result of traditionalist backlash within separate genres
24.
Tabloid (newspaper format)
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A tabloid is a newspaper with a compact page size smaller than broadsheet. There is no standard size for this newspaper format, the term tabloid journalism refers to an emphasis on such topics as sensational crime stories, astrology, celebrity gossip and television, and is not a reference to newspapers printed in this format. Some small-format papers with a standard of journalism refer to themselves as compact newspapers. Larger newspapers, traditionally associated with higher-quality journalism, are called broadsheets, in common usage, tabloid and broadsheet are frequently more descriptive of a newspapers market position than physical format. The Berliner format used by many prominent European newspapers is sized between the tabloid and the broadsheet, in a newspaper context, the term Berliner is generally used only to describe size, not to refer to other qualities of the publication. The word tabloid comes from the name given by the London-based pharmaceutical company Burroughs Wellcome & Co. to the compressed tablets they marketed as Tabloid pills in the late 1880s, the connotation of tabloid was soon applied to other small compressed items. A1902 item in Londons Westminister Gazette noted, The proprietor intends to give in tabloid form all the news printed by other journals, thus tabloid journalism in 1901 originally meant a paper that condensed stories into a simplified, easily absorbed format. The term preceded the 1918 reference to smaller sheet newspapers that contained the condensed stories, a tabloid is defined as roughly 17 by 11 inches and commonly half the size of a broadsheet. Tabloid newspapers, especially in the United Kingdom, boast a very high degree of variation as far as target market, political alignment, editorial style, thus, various terms have been coined to describe the subtypes of this versatile paper format. There are, broadly, two types of tabloid newspaper, red top and compact. The distinction is largely of editorial style, both red top and compact tabloids span the width of the spectrum from socialism to capitalist conservatism. The red top tabloid is, for many, the example of the format. Red tops tend to be written with a simplistic, straightforward vocabulary and grammar, their layout, more often than not, in the extreme case, red top tabloids have been accused of lying or misrepresenting the truth to increase circulation. Poll results are often predicted by red top papers, examples of British red top newspapers include The Sun, the Daily Star, the Daily Mirror and the Daily Sport. In contrast to red top tabloids, compacts use a style more closely associated with broadsheet newspapers. In fact, most compact tabloids formerly used the paper size. The term compact was coined in the 1970s by the Daily Mail, one of the newspapers to make the change. The purpose behind this was to avoid the association of the word tabloid with the flamboyant, the early converts from broadsheet format made the change in the 1970s, two notable British papers that took this step at the time were the Daily Mail and the Daily Express
25.
In the Winter Dark (film)
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In the Winter Dark is a 1998 Australian feature film adaptation of a novel by Tim Winton, which was released by Goalpost Pictures on 10 September 1998. It starred Brenda Blethyn, Ray Barrett, Richard Roxburgh and Miranda Otto and was directed by James Bogle, in The Winter Dark was nominated for three Australian Film Institute Awards, for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress, and Best Cinematography. David Stratton wrote, Bogle’s handsomely produced film is successful in exploring a mysterious. Cinephilia wrote that given that this was shot in under 6 weeks, paula Nechak wrote, In the Winter Dark is too internalized and segregated to rate as a successful film. Because we see from Maurices eye and through his state of being its near impossible to find the perspective that would allow us access to the other characters. Film Threat wrote, The story is unstructured at times and leaves numerous plot elements unexplained, martin McGrath’s cinematography of rural Australia is phenomenal and complements Bogle’s directing to create this harrowing portrayal of the dark side of human madness
26.
San Diego Comic-Con
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San Diego Comic-Con International is a multi-genre entertainment and comic convention held annually in San Diego, California. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International, San Diego and it is a four-day event held during the summer at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego. On the Wednesday evening prior to the opening of the event, there is a preview for professionals, exhibitors. Comic-Con International also produces two other conventions, WonderCon, held in Los Angeles, and the Alternative Press Expo and it is also the home of the Will Eisner Awards. In 2010, it filled the San Diego Convention Center to capacity with more than 130,000 attendees, the convention was founded in 1970 by Shel Dorf, Richard Alf, Ken Krueger, Mike Towry, Barry Alfonso, Bob Sourk, and Greg Bear. Detroit, Michigan-born, comics fan Shel Dorf, had, in the mid-1960s, mounted the Detroit Triple-Fan Fairs, one of the first commercial comics-fan conventions. When he moved to San Diego, California, in 1970, he organized a convention on March 21,1970. Dorf went on to be associated with the convention as president or manager, variously, Alf co-chaired the first convention with Krueger and became chairman in 1971. Following the initial gathering, Dorfs first three-day San Diego comics convention, other locations in the conventions early years included the El Cortez Hotel, the University of California, San Diego, and Golden Hall, before being moved to the San Diego Convention Center in 1991. I was quietly walking the floor stunned and in awe of just how much bigger it really was, the convention is organized by a panel of 13 board members,16 to 20 full-time and part-time workers, and 80 volunteers who assist via committees. Comic Con International is an organization, and proceeds of the event go to funding it, as well as the Alternative Press Expo. The convention logo was designed by Richard Bruning and Josh Beatman in 1995, in September 2010, the convention announced that it would stay in San Diego through 2015. In 2015, working with Lionsgate, a channel was created to host Comic-Con related content. According to the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau, the convention has a regional economic impact of $162.8 million. Along with panels, seminars, and workshops with comic book professionals, there are previews of upcoming feature films, like most comic-book conventions, Comic-Con features a large floorspace for exhibitors. These include media companies such as studios and TV networks, as well as comic-book dealers. And like most comics conventions, Comic-Con includes an area, as well as the Artists Alley where comics artists can sign autographs. Despite the name, artists alleys can include writers and even models, academics and comic industry professionals annually hold the Comics Arts Conference at Comic-Con, presenting scholarly studies on comics as a medium
27.
Cinema of the United States
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The cinema of the United States, often metonymously referred to as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. The dominant style of American cinema is Classical Hollywood Cinema, which developed from 1917-1960, while the French Lumière Brothers are generally credited with the birth of modern cinema, it is American cinema that soon became the most dominant force in an emerging industry. Since the 1920s, the American film industry has grossed more money every year than that of any other country, in 1878, Eadweard Muybridge demonstrated the power of photography to capture motion. In 1894, the worlds first commercial motion picture exhibition was given in New York City, the United States was in the forefront of sound film development in the following decades. Since the early 20th century, the U. S. film industry has largely been based in and around Hollywood, Los Angeles, director D. W. Griffith was central to the development of film grammar. Orson Welless Citizen Kane is frequently cited in critics polls as the greatest film of all time. T, the Extra-Terrestrial, Jurassic Park, Titanic, Avatar, The Avengers, Furious 7, Jurassic World, and Star Wars, The Force Awakens. Today, American film studios collectively generate several hundred movies every year, muybridges accomplishment led inventors everywhere to attempt to make similar devices that would capture such motion. In the United States, Thomas Edison was among the first to produce such a device, the history of cinema in the United States can trace its roots to the East Coast where, at one time, Fort Lee, New Jersey was the motion picture capital of America. The industry got its start at the end of the 19th century with the construction of Thomas Edisons Black Maria, in 1909, a forerunner of Universal Studios, the Champion Film Company, built the first studio. They were quickly followed by others who either built new studios or who leased facilities in Fort Lee, such notables as Mary Pickford got their start at Biograph Studios. In New York, the Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, was built during the silent film era, was used by the Marx Brothers, the Edison Studios were located in the Bronx. Chelsea, Manhattan was also frequently used, other major centers of film production also included Chicago, Florida, Texas, California, and Cuba. The film patents wars of the early 20th century led to the spread of film companies across the U. S and they started filming on a vacant lot near Georgia Street in downtown Los Angeles. While there, the decided to explore new territories, traveling several miles north to Hollywood. Griffith then filmed the first movie shot in Hollywood, In Old California, a Biograph melodrama about California in the 19th century. Griffith stayed there for months and made several films before returning to New York, after hearing about Griffiths success in Hollywood, in 1913, many movie-makers headed west to avoid the fees imposed by Thomas Edison, who owned patents on the movie-making process. Nestor Studios of Bayonne, New Jersey, built the first studio in Hollywood in 1911, Californias more hospitable and cost-effective climate led to the eventual shift of virtually all filmmaking to the West Coast by the 1930s. In Los Angeles, the studios and Hollywood grew, before World War I, movies were made in several U. S. cities, but filmmakers gravitated to southern California as the industry developed
28.
Harrison Ford
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Harrison Ford is an American actor and film producer. He gained worldwide fame for his roles as Han Solo in the Star Wars film series. Six of his films have been inducted into the National Film Registry, American Graffiti, The Conversation, Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Blade Runner. In 1997, Ford was ranked No.1 in Empires The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time list. As of 2016, the U. S. domestic box-office grosses of Fords films total over US$4.7 billion, with worldwide grosses surpassing $6 billion, Ford is married to actress Calista Flockhart. Ford was born at the Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago, Illinois to Christopher Ford, an executive and former actor, and Dorothy. A younger brother, Terence, was born in 1945, Fords paternal grandparents, John Fitzgerald Ford and Florence Veronica Niehaus, were of Irish Catholic and German descent, respectively. Fords maternal grandparents, Harry Nidelman and Anna Lifschutz, were Jewish immigrants from Minsk, when asked in which religion he and his brother were raised, Ford jokingly responded, Democrat, to be liberals of every stripe. Ford was active in the Boy Scouts of America, and achieved its second-highest rank and he worked at Napowan Adventure Base Scout camp as a counselor for the Reptile Study merit badge. Because of this, he and director Steven Spielberg later decided to depict the young Indiana Jones as a Life Scout in the film Indiana Jones, in 1960, Ford graduated from Maine East High School in Park Ridge, Illinois. His was the first student voice broadcast on his high schools new radio station, WMTH and he attended Ripon College in Wisconsin, where he was a philosophy major and a member of the Sigma Nu fraternity. He took a class in the final quarter of his senior year to get over his shyness. Ford, a late bloomer, became fascinated with acting. In 1964, after a season of stock with the Belfry Players in Wisconsin. He did not get it, but stayed in California and eventually signed a contract with Columbia Pictures New Talent program. His first known role was a role as a bellhop in Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round. There is little record of his roles in film. Ford was at the bottom of the hiring list, having offended producer Jerry Tokovsky after he played a bellboy in the feature
29.
Michelle Pfeiffer
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Michelle Marie Pfeiffer is an American actress, singer and producer. She began her career in 1978 and had her first starring film role in Grease 2. Her greatest commercial successes include Batman Returns, Dangerous Minds, What Lies Beneath and she received a third Oscar nomination for Love Field. Her other notable roles include The Witches of Eastwick, Married to the Mob, Frankie and Johnny, The Age of Innocence, Wolf. Pfeiffer was born in Santa Ana, California, the second of four children of Richard Pfeiffer, a contractor, and Donna. She has one brother, Rick, and two younger sisters, Dedee Pfeiffer, a television and film actress, and Lori Pfeiffer. Her parents were originally from North Dakota. The family moved to Midway City, where Pfeiffer spent her childhood and she attended Fountain Valley High School, graduating in 1976. She worked as a girl at Vons supermarket, and attended Golden West College where she was a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority. After a short stint training to be a stenographer, she decided upon an acting career. She won the Miss Orange County beauty pageant in 1978, and participated in Miss California the same year, following her participation in these pageants, she acquired an acting agent and began to audition for television and films. Pfeiffers early acting appearances included roles in Fantasy Island, Delta House. In the meantime, I was playing bimbos and cashing in on my looks and she then landed her first major film role as Stephanie Zinone in Grease 2, the sequel to the smash-hit musical Grease. The film was a critical and commercial failure, and Pfeiffers single release of Cool Rider from the soundtrack on PolyGram failed to dent the music charts. Despite escaping the critical mauling, Pfeiffers agent later admitted that her association with the film meant that she couldnt get any jobs. Director Brian De Palma, having seen Grease 2, refused to audition Pfeiffer for Scarface, but relented at the insistence of Martin Bregman and she was cast as cocaine-addicted trophy wife Elvira Hancock. The film was considered violent by most critics, but became a commercial hit. Pfeiffer received positive reviews for her turn, Richard Corliss of Time Magazine wrote, most of the large cast is fine
30.
Thriller film
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Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a film genre that falls under the general thriller genre. The thriller films key characteristics are excitement and suspense, the suspense element, found in most films plots, is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre. Tension is created by delaying what the audience sees as inevitable, a strict definition of the thriller film is that the films overarching goal is to build tension in audiences as the film approaches its climax. Tension is built through situations that are menacing or where escape seems impossible, Life is typically threatened in thriller film, such as when the protagonist does not realize entering a dangerous situation. Thriller films characters conflict with other or with an outside force. Thriller films are typically hybridized with other genres, there exist adventure thrillers, science fiction thrillers, Western thrillers, Thriller films also share a close relationship with horror films, both eliciting tension. In plots about crime, thriller films focus less on the criminal or the detective, common themes include terrorism, political conspiracy, pursuit, or romantic triangles leading to murder. Alfred Hitchcocks first thriller was his silent film, The Lodger. His next thriller was Blackmail, his and Britains first sound film and his notable thrillers in the 1930s include The Man Who Knew Too Much and The 39 Steps. 326 —this film would be an inspiration for the future James Bond films, the German film M, directed by Fritz Lang, starred Peter Lorre as a criminal deviant who preys on children. Hitchcock continued his suspense-thrillers, directing Foreign Correspondent, the Oscar-winning Rebecca, Suspicion, Saboteur and Shadow of a Doubt, notable non-Hitchcock films of the 1940s include The Spiral Staircase and Sorry, Wrong Number. In the 1950s, Hitchcock added technicolor to his thrillers, now with exotic locales and he reached the zenith of his career with a succession of classic films such as, Strangers on a Train, Dial M For Murder with Ray Milland, Rear Window and Vertigo. Non-Hitchcock thrillers of the 1950s include The Night of the Hunter —Charles Laughtons only film as director—and Orson Welless crime thriller Touch of Evil, director Michael Powells Peeping Tom featured Carl Boehm as a psychopathic cameraman. After Hitchcocks classic films of the 1950s, he produced Psycho about a lonely, mother-fixated motel owner, J. Lee Thompsons Cape Fear, with Robert Mitchum, had a menacing ex-con seeking revenge. A famous thriller at the time of its release was Wait Until Dark by director Terence Young, john Boormans Deliverance followed the perilous fate of four Southern businessmen during a weekends trip. In Francis Ford Coppolas The Conversation, a bugging-device expert systematically uncovered a covert murder while he himself was being spied upon, Peter Hyams science fiction thriller Capricorn One proposed a government conspiracy to fake the first mission to Mars. His notable films include Sisters, Obsession, which was inspired by Vertigo, Dressed to Kill. Other films include Curtis Hansons The Hand That Rocks the Cradle and Unlawful Entry, detectives/FBI agents hunting down a serial killer was another popular motif in the 90s
31.
Natural history
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Natural history is the research and study of organisms including animals, fungi and plants in their environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. It encompasses scientific research but is not limited to it, with articles nowadays more often published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the sciences, natural history is the systematic study of any category of natural objects or organisms. That is a broad designation in a world filled with many narrowly focused disciplines. For example, geobiology has a strong multi-disciplinary nature combining scientists, a person who studies natural history is known as a naturalist or natural historian. The English term natural history is a translation of the Latin historia naturalis and its meaning has narrowed progressively with time, while the meaning of the related term nature has widened. In antiquity, it covered essentially anything connected with nature or which used materials drawn from nature. For example, Pliny the Elders encyclopedia of this title, published circa 77 to 79 AD, covers astronomy, geography, man and his technology, medicine and superstition as well as animals and plants. Medieval European academics considered knowledge to have two divisions, the humanities and divinity, with science studied largely through texts rather than observation or experiment. In modern terms, natural philosophy roughly corresponded to modern physics and chemistry, natural history had been encouraged by practical motives, such as Linnaeus aspiration to improve the economic condition of Sweden. Similarly, the Industrial Revolution prompted the development of geology to help find useful mineral deposits, the astronomer, William Herschel was also a natural historian. Instead of working with plants or minerals he worked with the stars and he spent his time building telescopes to see the stars and the rest of the time watching the stars. In the beginning, he believed there to be a known as a nebulae. Herschel can be considered a natural historian because he observed the natural world, in the process he made charts of all the stars and kept records of all that he saw. S. Wilcove and T. Eisner, The close observation of organisms—their origins, their evolution, their behavior and it encompasses changes in internal states insofar as they pertain to what organisms do. Some definitions go further, focusing on observation of organisms in their environment. Bartholomew, A student of history, or a naturalist, studies the world by observing plants. A common thread in many definitions of natural history is the inclusion of a component, as seen in a recent definition by H. W. Greene
32.
Human Nature (film)
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Human Nature is a 2001 American-French comedy-drama film written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Michel Gondry in his directorial debut. The film stars Tim Robbins, Rhys Ifans, Miranda Otto and it was screened out of competition at the 54th Cannes International Film Festival. Most of the film is told as flashback, Puff testifies to Congress, Lila Jute tells her story to the police, Lila is a woman with a rare hormonal imbalance which causes thick hair to grow all over her body. During her 20s, Lila decides to leave society and live within nature where she feels free to exist comfortably in her natural state and she writes a successful book about her naked, savage, happy, and free life in the woods embracing nature. Then, at age 30, strong sexual desire causes her to return to civilization and have her hair removed in order to find a partner, the partner she finds is Dr. Nathan Bronfman, a psychologist researching the possibility of teaching table manners to mice. Lila and Nathan go hiking in the one day. Lila sights a man in the woods who has believed himself to be an ape his entire life. Lila discards her clothes and chases him until hes cornered on a tree branch, the man falls off the branch and fall unconscious as Nathan comes along. Nathan brings this man to his lab where the man is named Puff and this name is after his French research assistant, Gabrielles childhood dog. We discover later from her call to an unknown person that she is actually an American with a fake French accent. To demonstrate his success, Nathan takes Puff on tour, Puff secretly drinks heavily and patronizes prostitutes. Meanwhile, Nathan and Lilas relationship deteriorates and Nathan has an affair with Gabrielle, eventually Lila decides to take Puff back into the forest to undo his manner training and return him to his natural state. Lila and Puff live naked in the woods together until Nathan finds them one day, Lila turns herself in as the murderer and asks Puff to testify on the waywardness of humanity before he returns to his home in the forest. After the reporters and spectators leave, Puff comes back out of the forest and they both drive off to get food. At the end of the film, there is a passage read while the credits appear. It is an excerpt of William of Ockham from Opera Theologica in which Ockham explains his theory of intuitive cognition. Soderberghs considerations for casting were for David Hyde Pierce in the role of Nathan Bronfman, Chris Kattan in the role of Puff and he was about to go into pre-production when he was offered Out of Sight and after much deliberation he left the project. Human Nature was met with mixed reviews, earning a 49% rating on Rotten Tomatoes review aggregator site, roger Ebert, in a three-star review, lauded the films screwball charm
33.
Charlie Kaufman
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Charles Stuart Charlie Kaufman is an American screenwriter, producer, director, and lyricist. He wrote the films Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and he made his directorial debut with Synecdoche, New York, which was also well-received, film critic Roger Ebert named it the best movie of the decade in 2009. He also won two BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplays and one BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, three of Kaufmans scripts appear in the Writers Guild of Americas list of the 101 greatest movie screenplays ever written. Kaufman was born in New York City to a Jewish family on November 19,1958 and he grew up in Massapequa, New York before moving to West Hartford, Connecticut where he graduated high school. While attending high school, Kaufman was part of the drama club, performing in numerous productions before landing the lead role in a production of Play It Again. After high school graduation, Kaufman attended Boston University before transferring to New York University where he studied film, while attending New York University, Kaufman met Paul Proch, with whom he would write many unproduced scripts and plays. Between 1983 and 1984, Kaufman and Proch wrote comedic articles and his work included parodies of Kurt Vonnegut and the X-Men. Kaufman and Proch tried to get their screenplays produced, sending them to people in film industry. The only response the two ever received for their work was a letter from Alan Arkin in regards to their screenplay titled Purely Coincidental. In hope of finding talent agents the two began to write scripts for television series such as Married. In 1991, Kaufman moved from Minneapolis to Los Angeles in search of job prospects. Kaufman got his start in television by writing two episodes for Chris Elliotts Get a Life during the 1991–1992 season, during the 1993–1994 season, Kaufman worked on Foxs sketch comedy show The Edge. Kaufman wrote some pilot scripts while working as a television writer and he later worked as a writer for Ned and Stacey and The Dana Carvey Show. He first came to notice as the writer of Being John Malkovich, directed by Spike Jonze, earning an Academy Award nomination for his effort. He wrote the script on spec in 1994, sending it to companies and studios. Kaufman and Jonze reunited yet again as the director screenwriter respectively for Adaptation, Adaptation featured a fictionalized version of Kaufman and his fictional brother, Donald, who is credited as writer of the film along with Kaufman. The idea came to Kaufman while attempting to adapt Susan Orleans novel The Orchid Thief into film, struggling with writers block, Kaufman turned the script into an exaggerated account of his struggles with adapting the screenplay. The film focuses on Barriss claim to have been a CIA hit man and it was George Clooneys directorial debut
34.
Being John Malkovich
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Being John Malkovich is a 1999 American fantasy-comedy film directed by Spike Jonze and written by Charlie Kaufman, both making their feature film debut. The film stars John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, and Catherine Keener, with John Malkovich, the film follows a puppeteer who finds a portal that leads into Malkovichs mind. Released by USA Films, the film was nominated in three categories at the 72nd Academy Awards, Best Director for Jonze, Best Original Screenplay for Kaufman, Craig Schwartz is an unemployed puppeteer in a forlorn marriage with his pet-obsessed wife Lotte. Gaining a file clerk job through Dr. Craig enters a door hidden behind a filing cabinet. Craig is able to observe and sense whatever Malkovich does for fifteen minutes before he is ejected and dropped into a ditch near the New Jersey Turnpike and he reveals the portal to Maxine and they let others use it for $200 a turn. Craig tells Lotte, who becomes obsessed with the experience, allowing her to out her transgender desires. Lotte becomes attracted to Maxine and they begin a relationship via Lotte being inside Malkovichs head while Maxine has sex with Malkovich. Craig, forsaken by both women, binds and gags Lotte and locks her in a cage, then enters Malkovichs mind and has sex with Maxine, Craig discovers that he is able to control Malkovichs actions while in his head, causing the actor to become paranoid. He is ejected and meets Craig by the turnpike, Malkovich demands that the portal be closed, but Craig refuses. Lotte escapes with the help of the animals in the cage and phones Maxine, Maxine is annoyed but accepts it as she enjoyed the experience. Seeking help, Lotte finds Lester, who reveals himself to be Captain Mertin and he is aware of the portal and has a room dedicated to Malkovich. Lester explains that the connected to it becomes ripe for occupation on the eve of their 44th birthday. However, after the old host turns 44, the moves to its next host. The former allows one to increase their life before moving on to another host while the means being trapped within the unborn child. Lester, who has been using the portal to prolong his life, reveals his plan to use Malkovich for himself, offered the chance to join Lesters group, Lotte warns him that Craig has control. Craig finds he is able to remain in Malkovich indefinitely and he spends the next eight months in Malkovichs body, and through his control turns Malkovich into a world-famous puppeteer. Malkovich marries Maxine and learns that she is pregnant as their relationship grows distant, as Malkovichs 44th birthday approaches, Lester and his friends cut a deal with Maxine and fake her kidnapping. They call up Craig threatening to kill her if Craig does not leave Malkovich, Craig ends the call, causing Lester to think that he called their bluff
35.
Michel Gondry
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Michel Gondry is a French independent film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is noted for his visual style and distinctive manipulation of mise en scène. He won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as one of the writers of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and he is well known for his music video collaborations with Radiohead, Björk, Beck, The Chemical Brothers and The White Stripes. He is the grandson of inventor Constant Martin, Gondrys vision and career began with his emphasis on emotion. Much of his inspiration, he says, came from the film Le voyage en ballon and he stated, When I watch this movie, I dream Im flying and then I do stories where people are flying. His career as a filmmaker began with creating videos for the French rock band Oui Oui. The style of his videos for Oui Oui caught the attention of music artist Björk, the collaboration proved long-lasting, with Gondry directing a total of eight music videos for Björk. Other artists who have collaborated with Gondry on more than one occasion include Daft Punk, The White Stripes, The Chemical Brothers, The Vines, Steriogram, Radiohead, and Beck. Gondry’s video for Lucas Secons Lucas With The Lid Off was nominated in the Best Music Video category at the 37th Grammy Awards, Gondry, along with directors Spike Jonze and David Fincher, is representative of the influx of music video directors into feature film. Gondry made his film debut in 2001 with Human Nature. His second film, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, was released in 2004 and received favorable reviews. Eternal Sunshine utilizes many of the image manipulation techniques that Gondry had experimented with in his music videos, Gondry won an Academy Award alongside Kaufman and Pierre Bismuth for the screenplay of Eternal Sunshine. The style of Gondrys music videos often relies on videography and camera tricks which play with frames of reference and his following film, The Science of Sleep, hit theaters in September 2006. This film stars Mexican actor Gael García Bernal, and marked a return to the fantastical, surreal techniques he employed in Eternal Sunshine, according to the Guinness World Records 2004, Michel Gondrys Levis 501 Jeans Drugstore spot holds the record for Most awards won by a TV commercial. The commercial was never aired in North America because of the suggestive content involving purchasing latex condoms. He was asked by French comic duet Éric and Ramzy to direct Seuls Two, in September 2006, Gondry made his debut as an installation artist at Deitch Projects in New York Citys SoHo gallery district. A leitmotif of the film is a Disastrology calendar, Gondry commissioned the painter Baptiste Ibar to draw harrowing images of natural and human disasters. His brother Olivier Twist Gondry is also a commercial and music video director creating videos for bands such as The Stills, Hot Hot Heat, Daft Punk
36.
BBC
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The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. It is headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, the BBC is the worlds oldest national broadcasting organisation and the largest broadcaster in the world by number of employees. It employs over 20,950 staff in total,16,672 of whom are in public sector broadcasting, the total number of staff is 35,402 when part-time, flexible, and fixed contract staff are included. The BBC is established under a Royal Charter and operates under its Agreement with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The fee is set by the British Government, agreed by Parliament, and used to fund the BBCs radio, TV, britains first live public broadcast from the Marconi factory in Chelmsford took place in June 1920. It was sponsored by the Daily Mails Lord Northcliffe and featured the famous Australian Soprano Dame Nellie Melba, the Melba broadcast caught the peoples imagination and marked a turning point in the British publics attitude to radio. However, this public enthusiasm was not shared in official circles where such broadcasts were held to interfere with important military and civil communications. By late 1920, pressure from these quarters and uneasiness among the staff of the licensing authority, the General Post Office, was sufficient to lead to a ban on further Chelmsford broadcasts. But by 1922, the GPO had received nearly 100 broadcast licence requests, John Reith, a Scottish Calvinist, was appointed its General Manager in December 1922 a few weeks after the company made its first official broadcast. The company was to be financed by a royalty on the sale of BBC wireless receiving sets from approved manufacturers, to this day, the BBC aims to follow the Reithian directive to inform, educate and entertain. The financial arrangements soon proved inadequate, set sales were disappointing as amateurs made their own receivers and listeners bought rival unlicensed sets. By mid-1923, discussions between the GPO and the BBC had become deadlocked and the Postmaster-General commissioned a review of broadcasting by the Sykes Committee and this was to be followed by a simple 10 shillings licence fee with no royalty once the wireless manufactures protection expired. The BBCs broadcasting monopoly was made explicit for the duration of its current broadcast licence, the BBC was also banned from presenting news bulletins before 19.00, and required to source all news from external wire services. Mid-1925 found the future of broadcasting under further consideration, this time by the Crawford committee, by now the BBC under Reiths leadership had forged a consensus favouring a continuation of the unified broadcasting service, but more money was still required to finance rapid expansion. Wireless manufacturers were anxious to exit the loss making consortium with Reith keen that the BBC be seen as a service rather than a commercial enterprise. The recommendations of the Crawford Committee were published in March the following year and were still under consideration by the GPO when the 1926 general strike broke out in May. The strike temporarily interrupted newspaper production and with restrictions on news bulletins waived the BBC suddenly became the source of news for the duration of the crisis. The crisis placed the BBC in a delicate position, the Government was divided on how to handle the BBC but ended up trusting Reith, whose opposition to the strike mirrored the PMs own
37.
Anthony Trollope
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Anthony Trollope was an English novelist of the Victorian era. Among his best-known works is a series of novels known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire. He also wrote novels on political, social, and gender issues, Trollopes literary reputation dipped somewhat during the last years of his life, but he had regained the esteem of critics by the mid-20th century. Thomas Anthony Trollope, Anthonys father, was a barrister, though a clever and well-educated man and a Fellow of New College, Oxford, he failed at the bar due to his bad temper. In addition, his ventures into farming proved unprofitable, and he lost an expected inheritance when an elderly childless uncle remarried and had children, as a son of landed gentry, he wanted his sons to be raised as gentlemen and to attend Oxford or Cambridge. Anthony Trollope suffered much misery in his boyhood owing to the disparity between the background of his parents and their comparatively small means. Born in London, Anthony attended Harrow School as a day pupil for three years from the age of seven because his fathers farm, acquired for that reason. After a spell at a school at Sunbury, he followed his father. He returned to Harrow as a day-boy to reduce the cost of his education, Trollope had some very miserable experiences at these two public schools. They ranked as two of the most élite schools in England, but Trollope had no money and no friends, at the age of twelve, he fantasised about suicide. However, he also daydreamed, constructing elaborate imaginary worlds, in 1827, his mother Frances Trollope moved to America with Trollopes three younger siblings, to Nashoba Commune. After that failed, she opened a bazaar in Cincinnati, which proved unsuccessful, thomas Trollope joined them for a short time before returning to the farm at Harrow, but Anthony stayed in England throughout. His mother returned in 1831 and rapidly made a name for herself as a writer and his fathers affairs, however, went from bad to worse. He gave up his practice entirely and failed to make enough income from farming to pay rents to his landlord, Lord Northwick. In 1834, he fled to Belgium to avoid arrest for debt, the whole family moved to a house near Bruges, where they lived entirely on Francess earnings. In Belgium, Anthony was offered a commission in an Austrian cavalry regiment, to accept it, he needed to learn French and German, he had a year in which to acquire these languages. To learn them without expense to himself and his family, he took a position as an usher in a school in Brussels, after six weeks of this, however, he received an offer of a clerkship in the General Post Office, obtained through a family friend. He returned to London in the autumn of 1834 to take up this post, thomas Trollope died the following year
38.
The Way We Live Now (2001 TV serial)
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The Way We Live Now is a 2001 four-part television adaptation of the Anthony Trollope novel The Way We Live Now. The serial was first broadcast on the BBC and was directed by David Yates, written by Andrew Davies and produced by Nigel Stafford-Clark. David Suchet starred as Auguste Melmotte, with Shirley Henderson as his daughter Marie, Matthew Macfadyen as Sir Felix Carbury, Cillian Murphy as Paul Montague, augustus Melmotte is a foreign financier with a mysterious past. When he and his move to London, the citys upper crust begins buzzing with rumours about him. Lady Carbury is a living in straitened circumstances with her handsome but dissolute son, Sir Felix. Sir Felix has gambled away his inheritance and his mother supports them by writing and her close friend, Mr Broune, a newspaper publisher, reviews her books favourably because of his regard for her and clearly wants their relationship to be closer. At his gambling club, Felix hears his friends say that Melmottes daughter, Marie, returning home, he impulsively tells his mother that he will try to retrieve the familys fortunes by marrying Marie. Roger, the Carburys cousin, is a kind and decent country squire and he has been in love with Henrietta for years but has never said anything, as she has only recently come of age. Paul Montague is an engineer, formerly Rogers ward. Newly returned to England from America with plans to build a railroad from Utah to Mexico, Roger visits London and proposes to Henrietta, who explains that her fondness for him can never become the love he hopes for. Roger refuses to give up, but when he meets Paul later and reveals what happened, Paul and his American partner meet with Melmotte, who agrees to arrange a stock offering. The stock offering proves a success and the share price goes up and up. Melmottes prestige and influence are greatly enhanced and he begins to be accepted in English society, Paul is anxious to go to America to begin construction, but for some reason Melmotte keeps putting off the financial arrangements that are necessary for the work. Paul learns that Mrs Hurtle, a woman he was engaged to in America, has come to London and she vanished before the marriage and he assumed that she had thrown him over. Now she tells him that she means to enforce his promise of marriage, through a combination of bullying and pleading, she keeps a hold on him. Sir Felix continues to woo Marie and finally approaches Melmotte, who is doubtful of the idea because Felix has no money, Marie convinces Felix to elope, that her father will eventually support them financially. To pay for the trip to New York, she steals a cheque from Melmottes desk. At the docks Felix fails to board, hung over from a night at his club, Marie is visited by Felixs sister Henrietta, who informs her that Felix doesnt have the courage to defy Melmotte and has no interest in marrying Marie without a dowry
